Story+2009-04-05+Austin,+TX

“Good evening, Austin (crowd cheers)…”
 * 05.04.09 Austin, TX, intro to “Badlands”**

“Good evening, Austin (crowd cheers) glad to be back in Austin (crowd cheers) we’re here tonight…we have gathered here tonight …we have gathered here tonight to rock the house (crowd cheers) but we’ve all come to town tonight because we don’t just wanna rock the house, we wanna build a house tonight (crowd cheers) that’s right, we’ve got the tools and in this very room we’re gonna build a house tonight…we’re gonna take despair and we’re gonna build a house of hope…we’re gonna learn to live in it (chuckles)… we’re gonna take sadness and build a house of joy (crowd cheers) we’re gonna take doubt and build a house of faith (crowd cheers) and we’re gonna take fear…we’re gonna take fear and build a house of love (crowd cheers) right in this room tonight…I’m not kidding… and we’re gonna take that (cooling off?) and we’re gonna build a house of sexual healing (crowd cheers) that’s right…we’re gonna use the bad wood and we’re gonna use the good wood…we’re gonna use the bad news and we’re gonna use the good news… we’ve got all the tools we need right here up on this stage and in those seats out there (crowd cheers) that’s right, that’s right… ‘cause we’re gonna build a house out of music and spirit and noise (crowd cheers) now the mighty E Street Band gonna bring the power and the music (crowd cheers) but we need you to bring the noise (crowd cheers) now sing like you mean it…”
 * 05.04.09 Austin, TX, middle of “Working on a Dream”**

“We have a request of sorts right here…this man did not wanna splurge on his sign (laughs from the crowd) I have two bubblegum wrappers (laughs from the crowd)(?) oh yeah…guitar, Kevin… alright, let’s see how good the…I don’t know if you can read this …(crowd cheers)…did you see that, C? (chuckles)…(?)…”
 * 05.04.09 Austin, TX, intro to “Sherry Darling”**

“Thank you (crowd cheers) thank you so much for coming out and visiting with us tonight, we thank you, we thank you for your support (crowd cheers) thanks, we’ve been, uh…we’ve been coming down this way since, I guess, 1974 (crowd cheers) who was alive in 1974? let’s hear it! (crowd cheers)(chuckles) you, you guys were not alive in 1974, alright, I don’t (?)…what’s your birthday?...what year?...1990? oh my God, I was already old by then (chuckles) 1990 (chuckles) alright…anybody born in the ‘90s, you’re gonna get a big dedication right here...(laughs)…alright, it was always so memorable because we were from New Jersey, of course, and (crowd cheers) yeah, woo! (crowd cheers) the Corruption State, let’s hear it for it, woo! (crowd cheers)(chuckles) we’ve got that down better than anybody else (laughs) but, uh, so Texas was a long ways away…and at the time nobody had flown on an airplane very much and we took a few flights and the whole band decided that, we voted and decided we would never fly again ‘cause we had a couple of bad flights and so we took the train from New York City to Texas (crowd cheers) we didn’t have any, like, bunks or anything, we only had, we could only afford the seats (chuckles) oh my God, it was such a long ride, and I remember we played at Liberty Hall, Music Hall (crowd cheers) and then we came here and we played the Armadillo World Headquarters (crowd cheers) and then we said “Where’s the next gig?” they said “Arizona,” we said “Book us on the next airplane tonight” (chuckles) cured that…but we’ve had a lot of great memories from coming out here to Austin and we appreciate your long-time support for our music (crowd cheers)(?)…and, uh, tonight we have some good friends from Austin, Texas in the house we’ve got folks from the Capital Area Foodbank of Texas (crowd cheers) the Capital Area Foodbank, they provide food to hungry in 21 Central Texas counties, last year they distributed more than 17 million pounds of food to those in need, if you know what’s going on out there right now, with the tough times we have out there, there’s a lot of folks who’ve been sitting in the middle class, who, who, who’ve, who’ve lost, have dropped out and fallen, struggling, the Capital Area Foodbank of Texas and other foodbanks like it are the only safety net some of these folks have to assist them getting a, a step up again and through (?)(crowd cheers) so if you see them on the way out, they appreciate your support, we’d appreciate, the Capital Area Foodbank of Texas helping Texas citizens make it through hard times…this is, uh…this is a song written in 1855 by Stephen Foster and, uh, I guess it goes to show you that the more things change, the more they stay the same, this is “Hard Times Come Again No More”…”
 * 05.04.09 Austin, TX, intro to “Hard Times”**

“Big Man, Clarence Clemons (crowd cheers) Professor Roy Bittan (crowd cheers) we’ve got a fairytale to tell you, come on…(intro music starts)…is there anybody alive out there? (crowd cheers) is there anybody alive out there? (crowd cheers) is there anybody alive back there? (crowd cheers) is there anybody alive way in the back out there? (crowd cheers)(?) let me hear you (the crowd starts the intro “chant”) that’s right, kid, that’s right, turn that thing up…turn that thing up now!... that’s right, Sister, come on…bring that thing up (?)…I can’t hear you…I can’t hear you (?)…one more time (?)…”
 * 05.04.09 Austin, TX, intro to “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” (following “Jungleland”)**

“Can we do it?...this is for you (?) that’s right, that’s right…are you ready, Max?...I forget how it starts…one, two, one, two, three (intro music starts)…that’s right…gimme them organs…come on, Charles (Charles plays off-key)…”
 * 05.04.09 Austin, TX, intro to “I’m a Rocker”**

05.04.09 Austin, TX, intro to “American Land” “We wanna thank everybody for coming out to the show tonight (crowd cheers) don’t forget the Capital Area Foodbank of Texas… (…) Little Steven (crowd cheers) Curtis King (crowd cheers) the beautiful Miss Patti Scialfa (crowd cheers) Sister Soozie Tyrell (crowd cheers) the unstoppable Mighty Max Weinberg (crowd cheers) Garry W. Tallent (crowd cheers) Professor Roy Bittan (crowd cheers) Charlie Giordano (crowd cheers) Mr. Nils Lofgren (crowd cheers) Cindy Mizelle (crowd cheers) and the biggest man you’ve ever seen: Clarence “Big Man” Clemons (crowd cheers) Austin! (crowd cheers) Austin! (crowd cheers) Austin! (crowd cheers) Austin! (crowd cheers) Austin! (crowd cheers) Austin! (crowd cheers) you’ve just seen the heart-stopping, pants-dropping, hard-rocking, earth-shocking, booty-shaking, love-making, Viagra-taking, history-making, legendary (crowd: “E Street Band”)…”

“It ain’t over till it’s over…(the band goes into “Glory Days”…”
 * 05.04.09 Austin, TX, towards the end of “American Land”**

“Alright, Austin…(?)…Stevie (Steve: “Yeah, baby?”) I think it’s quitting time, Brother…(Steve: “You mean like at Super Bowl?”) just like that there…I think it’s going home time (Steve: “Oh, no, no, I don’t think so”) well, then what I wanna know is…what time is it? (crowd cheers)(Steve: “It’s Boss-time”)…”
 * 05.04.09 Austin, TX, middle of “Glory Days”**

“Thank you, Austin, we love you, it’s great to be back with you (crowd cheers)…”
 * 05.04.09 Austin, TX, after “Glory Days”**

//Compiled by Johanna Pirttijärvi//